XCOM HD Propose to redraw all the sprites and increasing they in 4 times

[mydmitry]

I propose to redraw all the sprites.
By default the game uses sprites are made for the screen size of 320x200. If they increase to 4 times you get 1280x800 which is pretty good. Sprites are many and of course the work can not be done by one person.

Therefore, a systematic approach is needed.

To do this:
1. Make it so that the program would have guessed that within a file are the increased size of the sprite. For example, by file name. For example "sprite.dat" and increased "sprite_4x.dat" after finding the first file to check for the second and if it is then use 4x file.

2. It is necessary to make a table of all the sprites with the following features:
A) download sprite orginal and 4x enlarged sprites.
B) upload files to the server (4x enlarged images).
When a file is being uploaded to the server, you need to check the correctness of the name and image size (4x).
If the name is not correct then append _4x.
If the size is not the right not to accept the file.
The uploaded file should appear in front of the same line from which you are downloading the file.
C) Must be able to view posted sprites.
D) Must be able to vote do you like the new sprite 4x or not.
E) It should be possible to download by one pack all the files most people likes (see section 1-D). If, for any given position is no new 4x the source file information is taken. This pack should be ready to be copied into the game as resource.

Results you can see here https://ufotts.ninex.info/wp-content/gallery/screenshots/fire_n.jpg



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Предлагаю перерисовать все спрайты.
Стандартно в игре используются спрайты сделаные для размер экрана 320х200. Если их увеличить в 4 раза то получится 1280х800 что уже довольно хорошо. Спрайтов очень много и естественно работу не может сделать один человек.

Поэтому нужен системный подход.

Для этого нужно:
1. Сделать так что бы программа угадывала, что внутри файла идут увеличенные размеры спрайта. Например, по имени файла. Например "sprite.dat" а увеличенный "sprite_4x.dat" после нахождения первого файла проверять наличие второго и если он есть использовать 4x файл.

2. Нужно составить таблицу всех спрайтов со следующими возможностями:
A) скачивать файл исходного спрайта и 4x увеличенных вариантов спрайта.
Б) закачивания файлов на сервер (4х увеличенных изображений).
Когда файл закачивается на сервер, нужно проверять правильность имени и размера изображения (4x).
Если имя не правильное то дописывать _4x.
Если размер не правильный не принимать файл.
Загруженный файл должен появляться напротив в той же строке из которой производилась загрузка файла.
В) Должна быть возможность просматривать выложенные  спрайты.
Г) Должна быть возможность голосовать нравится новый  4x спрайт или нет.
Д) Должна быть возможность скачать сразу одной пачкой все файлы которые больше всего понравились людям. Если по какой либо данной позиции нет новых 4x файло то берется исходный. Такая пачка должна быть полностью готова к копированию в игру.

Результаты можно посмотреть тут https://ufotts.ninex.info/wp-content/gallery/screenshots/fire_n.jpg

[Daiky]

Seems like a déjà vu (multiple times)
Good example was this guy: https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,173.0.html
never heard of him again, although it was great fun to read.

By the way, you linked a screenshot of ufo:tts - ufo:tts uses x2 graphics and it increased battlescape viewport size to get more of the map on the screen... which a lot of people seem to prefer... x4 is really big if you have "just" 1280x800, the amount of map on the screen would be like in the original.

[luke83]

This is a hell of a lot of work and although i like the idea, count me out

I just want the engine to have a option to scale the image x2 and then zoom increase the screen resolution , this will more than enough for me.

IF you do how ever find enough people to support you on this project, openxcom could be reborn for the new younger gamers who don't like pixel.

 Also that screen shot you linked to looks pretty cool , is it not possible to steal there art (obviously you should ask first , i sent them a email once and never even got a response)?  How far did TTS get with the graphics?

[mydmitry]

It is natural that other people are also offered to redraw the sprites with increasing resolution. In any case, the essence of my proposal is not in it. I have described a system that will bring a completely unrelated people from all over the world for a common purpose and will not require additional support. So with the help of tens (maybe hundreds) of independent artists from around the world for a couple of years we get a significant part of redrawn sprites.

Daiky you absolutely right about TTS 2x. But Daiky openxcom idea is to recontruct ORIGINAL xcom on free manner. So no matter whether people like to have a large field of view or not. First you need to recreate all the original. But the original schedule is already 100% and so we can begin to improve it.

(In any case as one more a promising idea, the magnification can be taken from the name of the file: sprite.dat sprite_2x.dat sprite_4x.dat...)

Luke83. All things can be stolen and can be stolen from anywhere. But why we need to do this? May be better to rob a bank? We just need to organize system and information will accumulate by itself.
I think we will get nothing from TTS. I somehow talked to them there all muffled.

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Совершенно естественно, что другие люди так же предлагали перерисовать спрайты с увеличением разрешения. В любом случае суть моего предложение не в этом. Я описал систему которая позволит привлекать совершенно несвязанных людей со всего мира для общей цели и не будет требовать дополнительной поддержки. Таким образом с помощью десятков (может быть сотен) независимых художников со всего мира, за пару лет мы получим значительную часть перерисованных спрайтов.

Daiky вы абсолютно правы в TTS используется увеличение 2x.
But Daiky openxcom idea is to recontruct original xcom on free manner
Но Daiky идея openxcom состоит в том, что бы выполнить ОРИГИНАЛЬНЫЙ xcom в виде свободного программного обеспечения. Поэтому в независимости от того нравится ли людям иметь большую область обзора или нет. Сначала нужно воссоздать все в оригинале. Но оригинальная графика уже есть 100% поэтому мы можем приступить к ее улучшению.

(В любом случа в качестве еще одной перспективной идеи: степень увеличения можно брать из названия файла: sprite.dat sprite_2x.dat sprite_4x.dat...)

Luke83. Украсть можно все и откуда угодно. Но зачем нам это делать? Может быть, лучше банк ограбить? Нам просто нужно организовать систему и информация будет накапливаться сам по себе.
Думаю от TTS мы ничего не получим. Я както общался с ними там все глухо.

[moriarty]

sorry to play devil's advocate again, but what you are suggesting is copyright fraud.

I absolutely like the idea of having higher resolution sprites, but the copyright of the original work extends to anything that is a refined version of the original, uses parts of them or even just uses the general design.

so while it would be nice and legal to make and use these HD-versions, it would be illegal to distribute them.
openxcom as it is now skirts this copyright issue by requiring you to have (aka own) the original game, because it takes the images from there.

if openxcom were to provide all the graphics in a HD version, therefore providing a fully playable game that works without the original, that's not cool anymore.
I'm sorry, but that's how it works. mods and additions are usually tolerated. not full games. 

[mydmitry]

Anyway no one said has just to rescale the size of source images. It is proposed to completely redraw in the higher resolution.
Each individual artist will provide free content that has never exists before. How can you steal what you never had before - it can only create. As you can see at TTS where is complete different sprites. It is honest, isn't it?

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В любом случае никто не предлагает просто увеличить исходные изображения. Предлагается нарисовать новые в большем разрешении. Каждый отдельный свободный художник предоставит контент которого ранее не существовало. Как можно украсть то чего никогда раньше не было - его можно только создать. Как вы можете видеть например на TTS там совершенно иные спрайты. Это ведь честно, не так ли?

[moriarty]

no, it is not. you are not creating new content, you are re-drawing the original sprites at a higher resolution, therefore stealing original content and ideas. that's how it is: the copyright extends to stuff that looks similar to the original.

you can't just re-sing a song and distribute it without permission from the original artist. even if it sounds better than the original.

[hsbckb]

rescale the sprites through the game itself may be a better suggestion for our case.  However, the quality is worse  than the hand-made one......

[mydmitry]

Re-scaling is bad idea - moriarty is are against it.
We will DRAW new ones - moriarty should be satisfied. (We complied with the moral and legal constraints in this way)
Size will be in 4 time better then needed for 320x200.

[moriarty]

wait, no, you mis-understood me.

rescaling (using a rescaling filter) is fine.

drawing new graphics that look like the original graphics is NOT fine.

drawing completely new graphics that look different would be fine again, but that's not what we want, is it?



...and this is not about me being satisfied. I'm not even one of the developers I was just pointing out that copyright issues need to be taken into consideration, because copyright infringement can lead to lawsuits and lawsuits can kill projects like this.

[luke83]

I guess copyright is more important than ever now especially with the 2 new x-com games being released. To avoid it i guess you could do all new art that has nothing BUILT from X-com , create a entire new universe so to speak using the openxcom engine.

 If you personally  have the artist ability, your talent could be well put to use expanding the openXcom experience with new mapsets , aliens and weapons etc all as fan made Mods.

[LCSand]

Well since 3D-Voxel-Shapes are needed (for battlescape LOS and collison detection at least) anyway you could use those to autogenerate stuff even from different angles and perspectives. Something like this:
https://openxcom.org/forum/index.php/topic,265.0.html
So the workflow for free sprites could be:
make 3D shape->autogenerate basic 2D images->refine those by hand

This could also help with making new UFOs and rotating existing ones.
But if someone does that the first step should be to create a new file format for tilesets and maps and other stuff.

[Bomb Bloke]

Unfortunately, the 3D shapes the game uses can seldom match the sprites all that well (they're built out of twelve predefined layers of voxels... you don't get to position every voxel yourself). Only really get a good match if the shapes are very simple.

That's not to say that it's a bad idea, just that without using the clumsy shapes pre-defined in the LOF templates the 3D data won't be much use as anything other then a drawing aid... so you might as well go with a more sophisticated modelling system, as for complex objects it's easier to build one model then split it, than it is to make lots of small models and make sure they all mesh together.

Seems to me that if you want high-res art the easiest method would just be to model everything and then convert images of the models directly to sprites, which is more or less what they ended up doing with Apocalypse.

It may also be worth mentioning here that UFO2000 is already packing replacement art, albeit not high-res.

[LCSand]

That's not to say that it's a bad idea, just that without using the clumsy shapes pre-defined in the LOF templates the 3D data won't be much use as anything other then a drawing aid... so you might as well go with a more sophisticated modelling system, as for complex objects it's easier to build one model then split it, than it is to make lots of small models and make sure they all mesh together.

Yea I know, I did not mean using LOF templates or importing any stuff from the original. That could be interpreted as derivative work.
I mean creating voxel models from scratch. The LOF templates where only used to save space/memory anyway, on todays hardware that is not an issue anymore. UFO2000 does not use the LOF templates in their new format either.
For the autogenerated 2D sprites "drawing aid" or "placeholder" would be exactly the right name. The point is they would be Free and not a derivative.
But even if you use other modeling means, you would still need the voxel data for the game-mechanics.

It may also be worth mentioning here that UFO2000 is already packing replacement art, albeit not high-res.

I know, I like some of the tilesets they made. If you can find out the license under wich the replacement art is or track down its creator, some may be reused. Maybe other project have something useable too. I do not like the use of LUA for the new format though.
I looked at the format from www.mapeditor.org too. It does not seem to support multiple levels on top of each other.
Since a voxel-editor would have to be programmed anyway(does it?), it could be made into a tileset editor.
Anyway, it was just a sugestion. I have currently no intention of investing any real work/time into it.

[Volutar]

drawing new graphics that look like the original graphics is NOT fine.

Why?
What international law "fan art" can violate?